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3 Key Project Manager Behaviors
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Technical Skills vs. People Skills?
Most job requirements for project managers stress technological skills; however Australian research, conducted by the PMO Executive Council in 2007, found only a minor relationship between technical skills and project achievement — rather, their report revealed that the project manager’s actions are the primary precursors of project success.
I don’t believe there is a black-and-white answer, but rather, I believe the scope and type of project make a big difference relative to the talents needed by the PM. The smaller projects tend to require more technical project managers (since they also frequently have to double-hat and act as a systems analyst or technical researcher for the project). However the larger and more complex the project, the greater the probability that the project lead requires excellent “soft skills”. I believe people should also differentiate between junior-level project managers and senior-level project managers.
My resume is primarily in the very big ERP/SAP projects – ones that are complex, expensive and generally long, thus the following top 3 talents I recommend for senior level project executives reflect that bias:
1) Relationship Skills
I believe that winning PMs have considerable relationship talents – with a finely-honed capability to deal with senior level execs. They are able to summarize complicated technical and/or other project issues into easy summaries and/or “communications” for management, to be honest and explain the facts (even if distressing), and not be threatened by people who have greater power in the firm.
2) Big Picture with Specific Understanding
To me, this includes the wisdom to identify the complete picture, while keeping all the unique project details in focus. It includes the capability to use that knowledge to challenge impractical budgets, resourcing, target dates, and so on – before they become issues and while there is still time to manage them proactively, with limited overall impact to the project and the client’s expectations, concerns and funds.
3) Global Experience with Distant Groups
Recognizing that so many projects today perform in a worldwide environment, and much interaction happens over great distances, the ability to instill trust and confidence from the project launch, and consistently thereafter, are supreme.
Skilled Project Managers need to be able to use technology, more than face-to-face contact, and have an eagerness and ability to deal with project team participants from many countries, who:
- speak diverse languages,
- work across multiple time-zones (even day-night differences),
- celebrate a variety of holidays
And, they need to keep everyone working together in a collective and efficient mode.
With the economic context being as dismal as it is today, this Australian study should enlighten both HR managers and PM applicants alike. Hiring executives should be sure to include relationship skills in their job needs and PM applicants should be certain to include their soft abilities in their resumes and refer to them when being interviewed.
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